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WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein University women's basketball team split a pair of outings during its 37th-annual Smokey Ballenger Classic inside the Rike Center, topping Earlham College on Thursday before suffering a setback against Waynesburg University during Friday's action.

Otterbein, now 5-6 overall this season, concludes its non-conference schedule and will be back in action after the turn of the calendar on Wednesday, Jan. 4 at Ohio Northern University. The Cards currently stand 1-3 in Ohio Athletic Conference play.

Day 1 vs. Earlham (Win 60-41)

The Cardinals found some early breathing room against Earlham with an 11-0 run in the first quarter, opening a 16-5 lead before settling for a nine-point advantage after one period.

The Quakers (0-9) countered with an 11-2 run to eventually make it a one possession game midway through the second frame, but Otterbein strung together six-straight points en route to a 27-19 halftime margin.

The Cards shot 37 percent from the field in the first half while Earlham's offense struggled, connecting on just 6 of 23 attempts (.261) overall and 1 of 8 from three-point range.

Otterbein bumped the lead to double digits early in the third quarter and never looked back, seizing a 15-point edge entering the fourth quarter and extending the gap to 23 on a pair of occasions.

Sophomore guard Ali Cartnal led the way offensively with a season-high 19 points, burying 7-of-13 attempts from the floor and tying for a game-best three steals on the opposite end.

Juniors Kiersten Taylor and Abby Miduri each chipped in 10 points while post players Abbie Scholz and Taylor Pifher both snagged seven rebounds.

The Cards finished with a 30-18 scoring edge in the paint and scored 25 points off 26 Earlham turnovers. Shannon Pittman paced the opposition with 12 points while Hannah Franklin added 10.
 
Day 2 vs. Waynesburg (Loss 76-66)

Both teams traded scores in a back-and-forth first quarter, with no team leading by more than four points until a Pifher free throw gave Otterbein a 22-17 lead entering the second.

The Yellow Jackets (7-4) stayed close as the game remained a one-possession battle throughout the entire second quarter, with a layup from Miduri in the closing seconds elevating the Cards to a slim 36-34 advantage by intermission.

Waynesburg opened a seven-point lead on two separate instances in the third quarter, finding themselves ahead at 48-41 and then 58-51. Otterbein didn't waver, clawing back both times and eventually getting to within a bucket, 64-62, on a nifty layup from Scholz with 4:56 remaining in regulation.

The visitors would manage to hold off a scrappy Cardinal group, widening the lead back to eight by the 2:46 mark and then hanging on in the closing 90 seconds despite a 5-of-9 conversion at the charity stripe.

Otterbein, playing for the third-straight game without leading scorer Dani Kissel (injury), received a double-double effort from Taylor in the form of 19 points and 12 rebounds. She was 7 of 15 from the field and made 5 of 7 free-throw attempts.

Miduri scored 13 for the Cardinals while Scholz was solid off the bench, going for nine points, seven rebounds and two assists. The team finished 34 percent from the field and made just 6 of 20 from behind the arc.

Waynesburg's Katie Gehlmann led all scorers with 21 points while teammate Haley Delaney notched a double-double of 13 points and 10 caroms. The Yellow Jackets made 10 three-pointers to help offset Otterbein advantages in paint scoring (36-26) points off turnovers (22-7).